HOUSTON – (Feb. 14, 2013) – Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is available for national television interviews about immigration and other timely topics from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. EST Tuesday, Feb. 19, at Rice University. He can also discuss border issues, drugs, Cuba and Venezuela. Richardson is the senior fellow for Latin America at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, where he will present a talk at 7 p.m. EST on the “Future of U.S. Policy Toward Latin America and the Caribbean.”

As a senior fellow, Richardson provides substantive direction to the institute’s Latin America Initiative by enhancing the program’s policy focus on crucial topics, including immigration, natural resources and energy, as well as the emerging roles of key countries such as Brazil. Richardson’s public service career includes appointments as secretary of energy during the Clinton administration, ambassador to the United Nations and U.S. representative from New Mexico. For more information about the Latin American Initiative, see http://bakerinstitute.org/programs/latin-america-initiative.

Richardson’s speech kicks off the Baker Institute’s 20th anniversary celebration. The institute has planned a series of special events that highlight its programs and research. Throughout the year, lectures and conferences will focus on a host of important and timely issues, including the crisis in Syria, U.S. fiscal policy and immigration reform. Edward Djerejian, the institute’s founding director and former ambassador to Israel and to Syria, will introduce Richardson.

The Baker Institute TV interview studio is capable of transmitting broadcast-quality standard-definition and high-definition video directly to all news media organizations around the world 24/7.

To schedule an interview with Richardson, contact David Ruth, director of national media relations at Rice, at david@rice.edu or 713-348-6327.

-30-

For more information on Richardson’s speech, visit http://bakerinstitute.org/events/baker-institute-20th-anniversary-program-future-u.s.-policy-toward-latin-america-and-the-caribbean. A live webcast will be available at http://bakerinstitute.org/webcasts.

Founded in 1993, the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in Houston ranks among the top 20 university-affiliated think tanks globally and top 30 think tanks in the United States. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute conducts research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows and Rice University scholars. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blogs.chron.com/bakerblog.